It has been said to be how the rich are you have to do what the rich do. Not to envy, but to apply smart, money-saving and wealth-building tactics to your own life to secure your financial future.

Through studies, it's been shown that one thing the rich like to do is READ (non-fiction). Consider this excerpt from Business Insider Magazine:

They self-educate by reading.

"Walk into a wealthy person's home and one of the first things you'll see is an extensive library of books they've used to educate themselves on how to become more successful," Siebold writes. "The middle class reads novels, tabloids, and entertainment magazines."

I read, pretty much, only non-fiction (so how come I'm not rich!......lol), with the grand exception of Anne of Green Gables and books I was forced to read in high school. I'm a purely "tell it to me straight and true" type gal.

And I LOVE financial books. NERD.

So, I thought I would share some of my favorites on the blog. What I loved, what I didn't so much love.

First up?

SAVE KARYN by KARYN BOSNAK

I've had this dog-eared copy of Save Karyn for years. It's been to Mexico with me and gotten sand in its pages....its lived next to my bed on my nightstand for some time. Suffice it to say I really really enjoyed this book.

Karyn Bosnak is a REAL person. Very real. So real that she makes about a bajillion terrible decisions throughout the course of the book. She shops incessantly, buys stupid crap she doesn't need, lives in an incredibly expensive part of the US, and doesn't have her financial act together AT ALL.

Along the way she racks up $20,000 worth of consumer debt (I kind of wish my consumer debt was only $20,000. But, then again, she didn't start a business with hers. So, I win. I'm just going to keep telling myself that.)

Along the way, things start to fall apart. She loses her job (these aren't really huge spoilers) and 9/11 goes down (she lives in NYC). She gets a MAJOR wake up call and that's when she decides to do something ballsy:

Karyn Bosnak was, pretty much, the first "GoFundMe" before GoFundMe was a thing.

She started a website called "Save Karyn" and basically just said she had been dumb and needed $20,000. She sold a crapton on Ebay, applied her own money as well, but took donations from strangers to pay off her debt.

In FACT, you can visit the original website HERE (It's pretty terrible. Ahhh, early 2000's)

The thing is, her scheme WORKED. And, if there was such a thing as "viral" in those pre-Facebook days, she reached it. It was innovative and genius, honestly.

Now, we live in the world of 2016, where begging for money on the internet is absolutely nothing new.

But in 2001/2002...this was completely original....which is what makes Karyn so awesome to read about. Not that I advocate BEGGING people on the internet to pay for your debt. I don't advocate that at all. I advocate cutting your lifestyle (which she did), taking on extra jobs (did), and struggling through it. Learn your lesson.

But, if you can INNOVATE and that leads you to win?? Hey, far be it for me to take that away from you!

It's a funny book, a really easy read, and the bulk of it (with all of her crappy decisions and spending) will make you feel MUCH better about your situation! There's no real financial nuggets to take away from this book, which pretty much amounts to the book equivalent of a reality show, but hey....they can't all be heavy hitters.

If anything, it'll drive home the idea that debt is DUMB.

If you're interested in picking up your own copy of Save Karyn (paying cash, of course! No debt!) ....you can pick up a copy here: (Notice: Affiliate Link)